CIA 'did recruit German double agent', US officials say

Officials familiar with the case confirm role of Central Intelligence Agency
in latest spy scandal to damage relations between Washington and Berlin

CIA Director John Brennan Photo: Getty Images

By Reuters

8:56AM BST 08 Jul 2014

The Central Intelligence Agency was involved in a spying operation against Germany that led to the alleged recruitment of a German intelligence official and has prompted renewed outrage from Berlin over US surveillance practices, two American officials familiar with the matter said on Monday.

John Brennan, the CIA's director, has asked to brief key members of the US Congress on the matter, which threatens a new rupture between Washington and a close European ally, one of the officials said.

It was unclear if and when Mr Brennan's briefing to US lawmakers would take place. The CIA declined any comment on the matter.

The office of Germany's federal prosecutor, based in the western city of Karlsruhe, issued a statement late last week saying that a 31-year old man had been arrested on suspicion of being a foreign spy, and that investigations were continuing. The statement offered no further details.

German politicians have said that the suspect, an employee of the country's foreign intelligence service, admitted passing to an American contact details concerning a German parliamentary committee's investigation of alleged US eavesdropping disclosed by Edward Snowden, a former contractor for the US National Security Agency.

While historically close, US intelligence ties to Germany became strained over the last year in the wake of the Snowden revelations, which included evidence that the NSA was targeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel's personal cell phone.

The US officials who confirmed the CIA's role in the latest case spoke on condition of anonymity, and offered no further details.

Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, declined to comment on the dispute.

"The relationship that the United States has with Germany is incredibly important. This is a very close partnership that we have on a range of security issues, including some intelligence issues," Mr Earnest said. "All of those things are high priorities not just to this administration, but to this country. So we're going to work with the Germans to resolve this situation appropriately."

US-German relations have yet to completely recover from the Snowden revelations. Under pressure from Berlin, the White House agreed to stop targeting Mrs Merkel, but rejected German pleas for a wider "no spy" pact.

The latest case risks further straining ties.

"If the reports are correct it would be a serious case," Mrs Merkel told a news conference in Beijing, standing next to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

German media reported that the suspected spy, who has not been named, had first been detained on suspicion of contacting Russian intelligence agents, but then admitted he had worked with the Americans. The suspect worked for Germany's Federal Intelligence Service, known by the German initials BND.

Mr Snowden took refuge in Moscow last year after leaking tens of thousands of highly classified US intelligence documents to media organisations.